Fitness Friday #BlogHop #LinkUp - 10 Great Muscle Building Exercises

If you want to look great in that swim suit this summer or just get toned and feel better about yourself, then you should do more strength training exercises.  Below are ten of my favorite muscle building exercises.

1. Dumbbell Arm Curls

If you don't have heavy dumbbells, more reps with light weights will give you the same results. While standing or sitting hold your weights firmly in each hand and bend your elbows slowly up. You can either lift both arms together or one at a time. If you want to work out your triceps, point your fist to the floor with the inside of your arm facing in front of you and extend your elbow towards your back.

2. Dumbbell Shoulder Press

Like the previous exercise multiple reps with light weights will give you the same results. While standing or sitting hold the weights to your ears with your elbows bent and slowly lift your arms over your head.

3. Dumbbell Chest Press

Lay down flat on your back. Use a mat if you are working out on a hard surface. Like the shoulder press hold your dumbbells close to your ears with your elbows bent. Then lift them up bringing your fists together. You can also do this exercise with light weights making repeated reps.

4. Dumbbell Calf Raises

Stand holding your dumbbells to your sides. Lift yourself up on your toes. Repeat several times for optimum results.

5. Leg Lifts

You can do this exercise with or without ankle weights. Lay down on your side and lift up your top leg as far as you can. Bring it down and repeat several times. Then flip over and repeat with your other leg.

6. Squats With or Without Weights

Stand up and bend down at your knees. Repeat several times. I like to do this with a kettlebell. Hold the kettlebell close to your chest while squatting down.

7. Bicycles

This exercise strengthens both your upper and lower abs. Lay down flat on your back. Use a mat if doing this on a hard surface. Place your hands behind your head bending your elbows. Bend your knees and bring them together with your elbows one knee and elbow at a time. Repeat several times for optimum results.

8. Side Planks with or Without Knee Bends

For beginners all you need to do is prop yourself on your side, lift up and hold for 30 seconds. Then repeat on your other side.  For the more advanced, once you are on your side using your lower leg bend your knee out in front of yourself. Repeat several times on each side.

9. Fitness Ball Passes

This exercise also builds muscle in your abs.  Lay flat on your back. Use a mat if exercising on a hard surface. Place your fitness ball in between your ankles. Lift up your legs and arms simultaneously and pass the ball from your legs to your hands. Lay flat again with the ball in your hands above your head. Pass the ball back to your ankles in the same manner. Repeat several times for optimum results.

10. Hip Thrusts

This exercise works out your glutes for a firmer butt. You must use a weight in order to see any results. I usually use a kettlebell for this exercise. Place your back on the edge of a chair or bench for support and lift yourself up with your feet on the floor and knees bent. Place your weight on your lower abdomen.  Bend your hips downward pointing your buttocks to the floor and raise them back up. Repeat several times for optimum results.

What are some of your favorite muscle building exercises?

*image courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net

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This is a Blog Hop. The rules of this Blog Hop are the following:

• Visit thehealthymoms.net every Friday and link up to your Fitness Friday post or any post fitness related.
• Put our Fitness Friday button somewhere on your blog (code is above) or blog post and invite your readers to join us every Friday.
• Place these rules on your Fitness Friday post.
• Leave me a comment on thehealthymoms.net so I can visit your blog. ( You must have a Google+ account to leave comments. Sign up for one HERE.)
• Visit the other blogs linking up here and the other blogs that co-host Fitness Friday every week.

 

Our talented co-hosts:


Chandra Sullivan - Spark Your Motivation
Tere Scott - Teachable Scott Tots Homeschool
Danielle Nabozny - Lip Gloss and Yoga Pants
Lisa Belanger - Inspire Me Well
Maryann Mitchell - It's Not Food, It's Me
Angela Barnets - Fit Personified
Wendi Barker - Wendi's Book Corner
Lacey Baker - Love Lacey 365



An InLinkz Link-up




About Our Founder



Cascia Talbert is a busy blogger,  and mother of five children, living in Spokane, WA. With a B.A. in history and law and a passion for writing and staying healthy, she started The Healthy Moms Magazine in 2007. The Healthy Moms Magazine is currently ranked the top health blog for moms. Ms. Talbert believes that if mothers are well educated on health issues and how to stay healthy, they can pass that information down to their children and reverse the childhood obesity statistics in the U.S.


Ms. Talbert  runs the Healthy Moms Social Network, is the founder of Healthy Moms Media, and also blogs at talbertzoo.com. You can follow her on facebook.com/TheHealthyMomsMag, and twitter.com/cltalbert.



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